There’s something that new website owners sometimes forget: there are many, many websites out there. The competition for the attention of web users can be fierce; there are no guarantees that your site will be successful just because you want it to be. Indeed, most websites struggle to find any level of success. They are considered “duds,” because they’re essentially just a waste of digital space. Nobody wants their websites to fall into that category. The good news is that websites usually fail for one of a handful of reasons (or a combination). Below, we take a look at some of these reasons. Make sure that you’re not guilty of any of them with your site!
It Has No Focus
As we mentioned: there are a lot of websites, though you probably already know this from your own web browsing. And there’s only so much time you can spend online. With that time, you want to ensure that you’re getting what you want to get, without wasting time. All too often, websites try to offer a little bit of something for everyone. Alas, in the process, they end up offering nothing to anyone. If you’re going to run a successful site, then be sure that it has a focus. It’s better to dive deep into one topic rather than skim across a lot of topics.
People Can’t Find It
The internet is tricky, and it’s not always easy to predict whether a site is going to be successful or not. However, it’s reasonably safe to assume that it’ll fail if no-one can find the site. The SEO aspect of your website is arguably just as important as anything else, so it’s really important that you’re taking steps to ensure that it’s watertight. Because of the complex nature of SEO, it’s usually best to outsource this task to a third-party company — they’ll have the knowledge and expertise to ensure your website meets all of the latest SEO requirements.
Limited Value
One problem that you often see with business websites is that they make their website all about them. That might not sound too terrible; it may even sound logical. But it really is a mistake. The reason is that website users aren’t going to stick on a website that doesn’t add any value to their life. When it comes to your website, you’ll want to make sure that you’re offering value to your users. If you were running a clothes website, for example, then you could have a blog about the latest styles, as well as your items for sale. If you have any doubts about how to do this, ask yourself this before you add anything: would you think it was a good addition if it wasn’t your site?
Annoying Aspects
Finally, don’t annoy your visitors! If you have too many pop-ups, or autoplay videos, or dark patterns, then you’ll be on the verge of losing them — and they won’t come back. Treat them as you would like to be treated!
